THE MUSE (1999): ChildCare Action Project (CAP) Media Analysis Report MAR10899

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Entertainment Media Analysis Report
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MAR10899
The Muse (1999), (PG-13)
CAP Score: 57
CAP Influence Density: 0.77

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SUMMARY / COMMENTARY:

*The Muse* (PG-13) -- definitely NOT amusing.......to me anyway.

From Greek mythology, nine daughters of Zeus were muses who traipse around giving ideas to humans to better their conditions in exchange for gifts and servitude. Sounds an awful lot like softening of the story of selling your soul for gain to me.

A somewhat dry movie about a muse named Sarah (Sharon Stone) having mind control over humans -- witchcraft I suppose. What else could it be. She waved her hand in front of the face of one of her 'clients' to make him forget whatever it was he forgot. Her 'power' was certainly not from God. And, of course, the idea of mind control by an unholy agent borne of a false god was portrayed as benevolent and even beneficial. Isaiah 5:20 warns us of such thinking: "Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!" Note that his was NOT *Mary Poppins* style 'magic'.

And if your expectations of PG-13 movies are that there is probably nudity in it, your expectations are correct. Sharon Stone reveals herself...ALL of herself. And her puppet, Steven Phillips (Albert Brooks - the Director of the movie) plays a screenwriter she is trying to help. Phillips won an Humanitarian award (for those Oscar nominees who don't win the Oscar award) and received a trophy as the award trinket. I am sorry to write about this next scene because of its vulgarity, but you need to know if you are toying with taking your kids to see this movie. Imagine a triangular object about 12 inches tall and about four inches square at the base. That was Phillips' trophy. Phillips' two daughters, about 8 and 12, spoke of how it looked like a male member -- graphically. And, of course, when Phillips scolded his daughters for speaking such things, he was belittled as unenlightened and non-progressive. This scene and script made me mad, very mad. Two young actresses who should not even know about such things were paid to speak of them, and will do so likely in front of a few hundred thousand young girls who will see this movie. This dialogue, the nudity, and many other matters of sexuality and sensuality in this movie are examples of how the entertainment industry is stealing childhood from our children. There is not one entity on the planet of more wide-spread, consistent from city to city, nation to nation, intimately encompassing, proselytizing and dissonance-creating influence than the entertainment industry. If the lifeform in the theater seat can breathe and can manage a box of popcorn, influence will happen. Behavioral templates will be planted. For so long movies have been said to "show real life" that real life has become like the movies.

And throughout the movie parenthood itself was portrayed as about as important in the scheme of life as a dribble from the lips of a soup eater, leaving them to fend for themselves (Prov. 29:15 "The rod and reproof give wisdom: but a child left to himself bringeth his mother to shame.").

So many of our visitors seem to be relying only on this Summary/Commentary for a full accounting of the subject movie. This is not possible. For the best representation of the CAP Entertainment Media Analysis Model applied to this movie, visit the Findings/Scoring section below.

FINDINGS / SCORING:

NOTE: Multiple occurrences of each item described below are likely.

Wanton Violence/Crime (W):

none noted

Impudence/Hate (I)⁽¹⁾:

adolescent use of sexual expression to portray worldliness

belittlement of parents and parenthood

both parents ignoring their kids

disregard of family values and importance

15 uses of the three/four letter word vocabulary

lies

Sex/Homosexuality (S):

sensual and sexual suggestion

speaking of sexual performance

excessive cleavage, including before a child, much like the poster for *American Pie*

sensual/revealing dress

female anatomy ghosting through clothes

full female nudity

Drugs/Alcohol (D):

booze

drinking

threat to use drugs to ease worries

Offense to God (O)⁽²⁾:

portrayal of unholy goddess inn control of human lives

promotion of a muse as routine

portrayal of mind control by an unholy agent

accepting works of an unholy agent in exchange for material gain

"Anger the gods"

Zen meditation

two uses of God's name in vain with the four letter expletive and 20 without

Murder/Suicide (M)⁽³⁾:

none noted

(1) As noted in CAP Special Report-001, "Investigation Area and Scoring Trend," of the six CAP Investigation Areas, Impudence/Hate was the strongest presence in all four movie classifications. It has a strong revelation about the entertainment media.

(2) The use of the three/four letter word vocabulary without God's name in vain is incorporated into the Impudence/Hate Investigation Area. The use of God's name with or without the four letter expletive is incorporated into the Offense to God Investigation Area. There is no duplication. As required of the Holy Scriptures, unless God's name is used with reverence to His glory and praise, its use is considered in vain.

(3) Only portrayal of successful murder or suicide are incorporated into Murder/Suicide. Portrayal of attempts to commit murder or suicide and deaths by police action or war are incorporated into Wanton Violence/Crime.

Additional reviews of this movie may be located at "Movie Review Query Engine at Telerama."

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Thomas A. Carder
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ChildCare Action Project: Christian Analysis of American Culture (CAP)

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